If caught early, most concrete slabs, in descent condition, can be lifted back toward original position quickly and cost effectively.

You may find yourself without the repair option. If your sunken concrete has become severely cracked you may not be able to repair it, since repairing will most likely involve raising it. Raising a severely cracked or broken concrete slab may not be possible. Neither would it be practical to raise a slab with portions of the slab that may separate when raised. To decide whether or not to raise your concrete slab you'll need to determine if it is in a single, solid piece that will likely not fracture when raised.

This concrete can be lifted.

This concrete needs to be replaced.

Before & After of Sidewalk Lift, no need for replacement.

Concrete Replacement

Planning to replace your sunken concrete, yourself? If so, keep in mind that you'll need to not only pour a new slab, including building a form and finishing the new concrete, you'll need to remove the old concrete. This means breaking it up and hauling it away.

Another point to remember is, WHY did the settlement occur in the first place? When replacing concrete, it is important to make sure the soil base is solid. Otherwise, your newly poured concrete may move and settle again in the near future.

My wife noticed a part of our driveway has started to sink and is looking for solutions. Unfortunately, it's pretty cracked so we are worried it might break if we try to raise it. Like you mentioned, we might not be able to raise it because of that and instead we might have to replace the whole slab. Thanks for the helpful advice!

It really helped when you mentioned that it is important to find out why your concrete sunk in order to prevent it from ruining any repairs or replacements you might do. I can see that taking the time to do this can help you save your investment and make sure you return the appeal and safety to your home. My parents are looking into fixing their sunken concrete, so I'll make sure to share your website with them.

The sidewalk of my house has begun to sink, and we didn't know if we should try to repair it or replace it. I had no idea that if our concrete that has been cracked might not be able to be repaired! I hope our concrete isn't cracked underneath! Thanks for the great information!